Nicholas Lanese

Professor Cassel

English 1201

10 April 2019

Annotated Bibliography

My essay’s goal is to answer the question of how much electric cars have changed the

climate in the last 20 years. I came up with this question because I am very interested in cars and

I recently decided to get a minor in “Sustainability, Energy, and Environment”. I want to know

what the real impacts are of electric cars and how we can plan for this in the future. I also want to

find out if this idea for transportation really uses more renewable energy or if it simply sounds

good on the surface.

“Batteries.” The Environmental Effects of Electric Cars, [Link]/batteries/.

Materials, resources, and correct execution is what this article, posted on [Link], focuses

on. The main take away is that the material used to build these batteries is a non-renewable

resource, information on lithium ion batteries that will replace Nickel-metal, and methods on

how to mine the material properly. It claims that 99% of the material will need to be recycled in

order to prove it sustainable. The article also talks about the location of all of this material being

in Chile, Bolivia, and the US. The purpose of this article is to inform the readers on the current

situation for electric transportation and also what is needed to ensure the future for electric cars.

Mainly, we see this in the portion about mining. They look at both sides when talking about the
benefits and the disadvantages. The reader is mean to be anyone who has an interest on the future

of cars or the environment. The article is slightly outdated compared to today because now we

are more into the phase of lithium batteries, however, it still falls in my 10-year analysis. This

article is credible because it was posted to an college research site, which is much more credible

when it comes to research. The footnotes also show that the information was pulled from

credible databases and journals from research. This article has a large relevance to my topic and

can help to acknowledge both the good and bad sides. The information on where the lithium and

how the mining will affect the environment will really help to show what is needed for a better

environment. It will help me argue my points because of the specific numbers they have

researched. It says that nearly 38.86 million tons are in reserve and that they believe with the

market shift it will lead to harmful mining practices.

Ewing, Jack. “What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World.” The New

York Times, The New York Times, 18 Dec. 2017,

[Link]/2017/12/18/business/[Link].

This newspaper article, “What needs to happen before electric cars take over the world”

by Jack Ewing, is a very interesting article because it looks more into the logos of the

electric car era. The main takeaway from this article is learning the steps needed for

electric cars to become mainstream vehicles. As of now, the price of an electric

powertrain is far too expensive to build compared to a gas or diesel powertrain. This

article is going to be used in my paper to aid in the information in what it takes to make

electric cars. It will help address some counter arguments for why electric cars might not

be the solution to the environment. The article was published in 2017 so it is very
 relevant to my topic. Also, it is credible since it is published by a credible news company

and the author uses quotes from people who are directly involved in the electric car

industry, like Jupp Kaufer, the head of quality at Accumotive.

Funrg, Charlie, director. World's Best Electric Cars. YouTube, National Geographic, 26 Nov.

2016, [Link]/watch?v=tnScZId6yqM.

This documentary by National Geographic is a look into the company Tesla. Tesla is the

current leader in electric vehicles and the company says a lot about the environmental goals. This

documentary was uploaded in 2016 and Tesla was founded in 2003 so it is in the timeframe of

my research. The documentary looks at how Tesla came about, the history behind the CEO, and

the manufacturing of the cars. The CEO, Elon Musk, talks in the documentary about his passions

behind the next stage in life. He now is a big part of a renewable energy company, a space

company, and Tesla. This documentary is going to help me show the pathos behind the electric

cars and environment because Musk talks about his visions for the future and how it affected his

life in college. Overall, this source will be very beneficial and is very credible because it was

produced by National Geographic and it is the words right from the CEO of Tesla.

“Gearing up for Electric Cars.” Edsstc, EBSCOhost, 2018,

[Link]/login?url=[Link]

b=edsstc&AN=edsstc.6533542&site=eds-live. Accessed 10 Apr. 2019.

The article “Gearing up for electric cars” by Daniel Sperling was written back in 1994.

This article provides very strong information on the potential development of electric cars. The
main focus of the article is EV technology is proving to be the most promising alternative to the

gas engine. He focuses on the air pollution benefit EV cars have for the environment and what

policymakers are discussing. The purpose of this article is to look at the future of EV cars. The

author the effect of this articles date of publication is that the information that he talks about for

the future, like power plant efficiency, we can see that it doesn’t always happen. However, this

information is still very relevant in proving the beginnings of my research. He also looks into the

way we make energy to create cars which is a very important bit of information in arguing for

my article. The portion that talks about accelerating EV research will also help to compare and

contrast the differences on the environment. This article is extremely credible because Sperling is

the founding director of the institute of transportation and a professor in civil and environmental

engineering at University of California.

“How Electricity Is Generated.” How Electricity Is Generated - Energy Explained, Your Guide

To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration, 2018,

[Link]/energyexplained/[Link]?page=electricity_generating.

The EIA is the US Energy Information Administration and they report on many topics

regarding all types of energy. This article is explaining how electricity is generated and was

posted in 2018, so it is very relevant information. It focuses on all different types of ways to

generate electricity and then compares all of them in the US. The US creates 64% of its

electricity from steam turbines, 21% from combustion, but only1% from solar photovoltaic

systems. For my paper I will use this sources to provide facts about the electricity that goes into

these electric cars. Without the electricity being renewable then it still won’t help the
environment much. This source is straight from the government and therefore it is the most

credible version of a website.

“Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicle Emissions Data Sources and Assumptions.” Alternative

Fuels Data Center: Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicle Emissions Data Sources and

Assumptions, 2015, [Link]/vehicles/electric_emissions_sources.html.

This source is from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division of the US

Department of Energy and was reported in 2015. This is a table of information relating to the

emissions and assumptions between regular cars, hybrids, and fully electric cars. A hybrid is a

car that has both battery and gas engine and uses both to obtain high mpg without sacrificing

range. Whereas a fully electric car produces no emissions but is limited to the range of one

charge and long charging times. I plan to use this article by pulling facts and other data in order

to show the comparison between fully electric and hybrid cars. This table is very credible

because it is posted by the US government. Therefore, the data is true and accurate.

Kirsch, David. “The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History.” Rutgers University Press,

2000, 6 Aug. 2009, 291 pages.

This book, “The Electric Car and the Burden of History: Studies in Automotive Systems

Rivalry in America” by David Kirsch, was published in 2000 which falls in my 20-year span of

study. This book gives us a very detailed look on my topic by “drawing upon methods and

theoretical insights from history, economics, and environmental studies”. In this book, he explains how

the technology isn’t new technology, it’s just now becoming more mainstream. Also, it describes the
history behind cars and what the meaning behind them is (referring to pathos). This article will help me

to map out how far back the electric cars were around and show why it is so imperative that people are

on board with this. It is also a credible source because of his background business. Also he is a professor

at the University of Maryland.

Sperling, Daniel, and Deborah Gordon. Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability.

Oxford University Press, 2009. 260 pages. EBSCOhost,

[Link]/[Link]?direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=259499&site=eds-

live.

Two Billion Cars is a book by Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon that was publish in

2009 and can be found on the libraries scholarly articles search. This book gives a very specific

perspective on driving sustainably. In chapter 9, Driving toward sustainability, it tells us that the

automakers are making a shift toward electric drive vehicles that use electric motors for

propulsion and to control everything else. Also, it gets very detailed into how coal will continue

playing a part of energy while weeding out oil will be easier. I will use this book to make the

case for electric cars helping the environment stronger. I will do this by pulling these factual

quotes and information into the paper when discussing the environmental benefits and how we

will stay on track vs the economy. This book is very credible because both of them are professors

at very credible universities, Stanford and University of California.